Recording apparatus presently generally available permits a recipient of television and radio programming to record real-time programming (i.e., on VHS tapes) and replay it at a later time. The most ubiquitous example is the VCR, which allows recordation of live TV programming under recipient control for replay at a time of the recipient's choice. To record, the customer must select the time of the interval to be recorded.
There exist more sophisticated systems (Digital Video Recorders) which automatically record programming (via a digital cache/memory) and allow the user to selectively view portions of the recorded programming at a later time. An example of such a recording system is the ReplayTV digital video recorder and the TiVo Personal TV digital video recorder, which supply up to 30 hours of recording time. They provide features that surpass recording by monitoring listener preferences and by suggesting programming appropriate to these preferences. Recording may occur during live programming and if live viewing is interrupted the viewer may recover a delayed presentation of the programming at the end of the interruption interval.
These record/playback systems are however limited by failing to fully utilize network system capabilities. Summaries, for example, may be poorly defined or delimited resulting in loss of program material available to the user/viewer. Options available to the user are limited to manipulation of programming as received rather than using network and program provider resources to provide a broad spectrum of control.